Senegal was crowned the champions of the African Cup of Nations on Jan. 18, defeating the hosts Morocco 1-0. This match was filled with mixed emotions and drama. From the start, Morocco has been the favorite, being the dark horse of the 2022 World Cup. Morocco reached the semifinals, got eliminated by France 2-0 and lost to Croatia 2-1 to be placed third in the tournament. 

AFCON has been a tournament that has been viewed by fans as underwhelming and less prestigious compared to other major tournaments like the Copa América and UEFA Nations League. The main reason is the presence of star players, such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and rising stars Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. African nations tend to get eliminated early in most tournaments. But the rise of teams from Egypt, Senegal and Morocco have grabbed the attention of many fans around the world. 

The final match between Senegal and Morocco featured some interesting calls. During this match, Senegal saw the trophy placed in their hands after scoring off a set-piece in the 91st minute with an amazing header from a Senegal player. Unfortunately, during the play, the goal was called off due to a foul that occurred, destroying Senegal’s hopes of lifting the trophy.

An unexpected turnaround occurred during the 96th minute, as the Moroccan side made it to the Senegal side and were attacking. 

A Senegal player cleared the ball, and a Morocco player got some contact with a Senegal defender and took advantage of it to dive. The Moroccan side argued with the referee and had the Video Assistant Referee replay the moment of the incident.

The decision of the referee and VAR resulted in a penalty awarded to Morocco. The players and staff surprisingly left the soccer pitch due to the unfair call by the referee, and did not want to return to play for the remaining time. 

However, after some time in the dressing room and tunnels, they returned and prepared for the penalty that Morocco would take by Brahim Díaz. Díaz has been an important player in this tournament, with the most goals scored and would be taking this penalty. 

In the 113th minute, Díaz took the shot and tried to Panenka the goalkeeper. 

Senegal saved the shot and shocked Moroccan while they were celebrating. Extra time came into play at the 93rd minute mark. 

Senegal’s Pape Gueye shot and scored, making the score 1-0 in the final.